Behind Enemy Lines
by Emerald Ash
Summary: The hanyou's heart was bitter. He hated humans and he thought they hated him. But when a miko saves his life and offers her friendship, will he accept the fact that not all humans are evil? Or will his heart drown in the deep pool of hate?
1. The Battle Begins

Hi everyone! Welcome to my new story! I'm not sure where this idea came from, but wherever I found this, I went with it! Yay! So, there's really not much to say. I hope you like it! Enjoy!

I will say this once and only once -- this story has absolutely nothing to do with the movie, 'Behind Enemy Lines'. I'm just unoriginal and borrowed the title. (smiles)

Disclaimer -- Yes, I own Inuyasha. He, Miroku, and Sesshomaru are locked in my closet, only to see the light of day when I let them! Hahaha! ...Okay, enough of my fantasies, to the story!

* * *

**1 - The Battle Begins**

The early morning sun rose, it's warmth decending upon the land. It spread over the country side like rapid fire, bringing about a new day on the land of Fudal Japan. A man resting in a tall tree squinted his eyes to the oncoming intrusion of his sleep, the protruding dog-like ears on his head swirling around to hear anything that could be considered a threat. Hearing nothing out of the ordinary, he stood on the tall branch and stretched his stiff limbs. His amber eyes scanned the ground below him. What he saw were hundreds of demons, gathering from all areas of the expansive forest in the very center, where their leader stood tall on top of a wooden platform. He rubbed his eyes carefully with his clawed hand, trying to erase the nightmares of the pervious evening. But he knew that he wasn't alone. No one slept easily around here.

He gently hopped out of the tree, landing gracefully at the base. The man brushed off the red cloth of his clothes, pushing out any wrinkles that made themselves known. Finally he began the walk with the rest of the demons, stopping when he was as close to the platform as he could be.

The demon that stood on the platform was no ordinary demon. His inky black hair swirled around him in waves as his kimono-like outfit blew with the wind, giving him the apperance of a much larger man. He stood with his arms behind his back and looked out over his army with cold, evil eyes that could even send fear into the heart of the biggest and toughest demon. His leading officers stood behind him. One was a man with long silver hair and amber eyes, bearing a cresent moon on his forehead and had two swords at his side. The other was a woman with blood red eyes and her hair was up, held with mere feathers. Her only weapon appeared to be the large fan in her right hand. She flicked her wrist, sending a small wave of cold air over the group of demons. This shut them up immediately.

The leader stepped to the very edge of the platform to speak. "My fellow demons. Today we head into battle with the Ningenteki Army. The last few battles we had ended woth a stale mate; I don't want that to happen again." A few of the demons on the front row shivered at the ferocity of his voice. "We shall go kill all the humans who wish to stand in the way of our domination!"

With that a large roar erupted from the crowd, the moral of the group boosted with the confidence of their leader. "Kagura, Sesshomaru," the leader beckoned to his officers. "You both know what to do."

"Yes Naraku," they said in unison, bowing slightly to his command.

As the army moved out, the man with the silver dog ears held a confident smirk on his face. 'I'll get my revenge... You should have never betrayed me, Kikyou...'

* * *

"Arrrggg!" grunted the young woman as she hopped into the air, avoiding the attack thrown at her. She swung her large boomerang around her body, preparing to strike. Unfortunately for her, the man she was attacking jumped over her weapon, letting it swing around, gaining momentum. She turned to use this against him and bring it around to hit him again, but then she felt something on her butt that shouldn't be there. "Grrr... MIROKU! You pervert!" she said as she accidentally let go of her boomerang, letting it fly through the woods, cutting down any tree in it's path. But she didn't notice. "Miroku..." she said as she advanced on him, punching her fist into her free hand.

"Um... Sango," Miroku said as he backed away in fear of the blazing magenta eyes that held his own. 'She's beautiful when she angry,' he thought as he backed away in fear of the woman. Her long brown hair was tied up into a high ponytail, her short bangs framing her face. The large boomerang weapon, which she affectionately called 'Hiraikostu', was normally slung over her back, ready for battle at any moment. The demon slayer wore a black body suit, compleate with light pink armor made from the bones of defeated demons. Her blazing magenta eyes looked as if they were going to burn him with their gaze as she got closer. Suddenly he felt something hard behind his back. He had hit a tree. With a gulp he came to a conclusion: 'I'm dead...'

He was backed to the tree. Perfect. 'He'll learn to stop groping me...' she though as she looked Miroku. He was dressed in the traditional monk clothing, all purple and black. The golden staff he normally carried laid forgotten at least ten feet away, useless. Her eyes momentarily landed on his right hand, which he was putting up in hopes of defending himself. The purple clothes wrapped around it was held with prayer beads, ensuring that the wind tunnel in his palm was closed. 'Poor guy. Cursed with a vortex in his hand. But that still gives him no right to grope me!' She had to admit though, Miroku was very handsome. His midnight black hair was pulled into a small ponytail at the base of his neck, and his crystal blue eyes looked at her in fear. He knew what was coming.

Suddenly Sango was haulted in her tracks by the apperance of her weapon, stuck in the ground infront of her. And the person who put it there looked none too happy. Her raven hair was pulled out of her face into a low ponytail, and her pale skin glowed with anger. The white long sleeved shirt and over large red pants she wore were typical of a miko. Her dark brown eyes narrowed as she looked at the monk and demon slayer, her frustration evident.

"Will you two idiots quit screwing around," she said calmly, despire her obvious anger. "We have orders." With that, she left, walking back to the camp grounds.

Once they were sure she was out of ear shot, they began walking back as well, Sango attaching hiraikotsu to her back. "What a bitch," she hissed, an evil look in her eyes.

Miroku found that look quite appealing. "Yes, but she is a miko, so we must respect her," he replied, hoping to put out Sango's anger before she got herself in trouble.

She crossed her arms, huffing angrily. "That still gives her no right. Kikyou needs a reality check."

"However true that may be, you can never say it to her."

"Yeah, yeah..." By now they were at the campground. The grass was adorned with thousands of beige cloth tents, covering miles of land. People milled around, oblivious to the situation that Sango and Miroku knew awaited them in the commander's tent. Darting through groups of people and running from the women Miroku groped, they finally made their way to the large blue tent at the edge of the campground.

They entered, spotting four other people in the room. One was Kikyou, standing in a corner as she sneered at them. 'Bitch,' Sango momentarily thought before looking at the three other people. One was Lady Kaede, the medical expert of the army. She was old, but very wise and could heal almost anyone of anything.

Next to her was the leader of the Ningenteki army, Midoriko. She was dressed in miko clothing, plus some additional battle armor and a sword was tied at her hip. Her long hair was combed neatly, flowing gracefully down her back. She was kind, someone you wouldn't suspect to be ruthless on the battle field like she was. Her doe brown eyes held warmth, and her smile was genuine. Midoriko was all together a great leader.

The last person in the room was someone that both Sango and Miroku were happy to see. The young woman was standing near the side of the tent, dressed in miko's clothing. Her raven black hair cascaded down, framing her face lovingly. She had chocolate brown eyes that brightened her pale face with radiating warmth and a bright smile as she saw her two friends enter the tent. "Hey guys!" she called as she stepped away from the side and went to the center, standing next to Midoriko.

"Hello Kagome," Miroku responded. Kagome was very kind hearted and sweet, and he counted her as a close friend.

Sango just smiled happily, knowing that if she attempted to say anythin, she would go off on Kikyou.

"Now that we're all here," Midoriko said with a glance at Sango and Miroku. They just grinned sheepishly, Midokiro granting them a small smile. "Let's get down to business."

She led them over to a table in the corner of the room, holding only a large map of the surrounding area. On it were two stones; one painted blue and one painted red. "We are here," she said, pointing to the blue stone. "And the Tenma Army is here," she said, pointing to the red rock. "We just recieved information from a solider that they are now here." Midoriko moved the red rock to where it was only inches from the blue one.

Everyone gasped, amazed at how much land they had covered on only a day. "They should be here by nightfall. We must be prepared." She turned to them suddenly, a new look on her face. "Sango, gather the demon slayers and take them to the front lines. We need a strong offense."

"Yes, ma'am," she said, saluting Midoriko and jogging out of the tent.

"Miroku, I want you to put as many demon warding seals aroungd the camp as you can. Try to get around the entire camp so we can't be snuck up on."

"Yes ma'am." He left, mummbling about how he was going to get his hands on that many seals.

"Kikyou and Kagome."

"Yes, ma'am," they replied in unison. Even though they didn't really like one another they still worked together well as a team.

"Being the only miko's in the camp, you are our trump cards. The Tenma army has no idea that we have the power of not one, but two mikos on our side. You both will be behind the demon slayers, aiding them in any way possible," Midoriko said, proud of the two young girls with amazing spiritual powers.

"Yes ma'am," they replied, exiting the tent.

Midoriko put her fingers over eyes, warding off a headache. "Do ye want something for ye head child?" Kaede asked in a sympathetic tone as Midoriko sat on a small stoll, rubbing her temples.

"I just don't understand why the demon's keep attacking us. What did we do to them?" she said in a pleading tone.

"I don't think we did anything. When I was young, humans and demons mainly lived in peace. Lately, however, they are stirring for something. I think this new leader of their might have something to do with it. But don't fret child," she said, laying a comforting hand on her shoulder. "All ye can do is fight in these days."

Midoriko nodded, a small smile gracing her lips. She stood, ready to take her position with the demon slayers on the front line and be the leader they needed. "If the demon's want a fight, we'll give them one." With that, she left the tent to do her job. Win the war.

* * *

They could see the line of demon slayers in their black suits and colored armor from a mile away. The slayers would put up a good fight, but the demons would always win. The man with the dog ears smiled at that fact. He himself had never once been beaten. Thanks to his sword, Tetsusaiga. When his father died, he left one sword to him and one sword to his brother. He grinned. 'Lucky for me, I got the good one.'

The demons charged into the line of human, begining the fight aggresively. Demons and humans alike were falling, and falling fast. Sango looked around her to find many commrads down, including her father and little brother. "No!" she called, letting her guard down for a moment.

A particularly large demon saw his chance and lunged for the young woman leading the demon slayers. Take down their leader, and the rest crumble. Unfortunately for the demon, Kagome had also seen this. Within seconds, she shot a purification arrow through the demon's heart. He fell next to Sango, bringing her back to reality. She jumped at another demon, rage filling her body. The demon she went to fight had a large sword with fur around the hilt and little dog ears adorned his head. 'I'll vent my anger on him,' Sango thought as she entered a one-on-one fight with the dog demon.

Naraku stood away from the fight, taking in their losses. "How is this possible!" he muttered through gritted teeth. "How can we be losing?!? Kagura!" he called. The wind sorceress landed next to him, easily stepping off her feather.

"Yes?" she asked with a slight bow.

"Call the troops to retreat," he grumbled, turning to walk away.

"But sir," she began, feeling that leaving would be a mistake.

"Now, Kagura." He kept walking, his anger evident.

She glared at his back, angry at the fact that she must fight under such a stupid egotistical leader. 'As soon as he thinks were losing, he retreats! We could have still won this battle... What an ass.' She hopped on her large white feather once again to rally the troops.

"Retreat!" the demons heard Kagura call from above them. Many turned and abided to her request, knowing Naraku was dissapointed with them. But one certain demon was too engaged in a fight to retreat. He hopped into the air, bringing his sword down. The demon slayer dodged, bringing her large boomerang around her body. Until then it had been an even fight, both dodging most of the opponents attacks. He had sustained a bad injury from a different slayer, but he had killed the young boy soon enough. It made him feel bad to kill such a little one, but then he remembered. They were just humans. But he didn't see this coming. Her weapon came and smacked the back of his head, causing his vision to blur and his body to fall to the ground. His attempts to get back up were futile; the darkness blanketed over his mind like a cloud, the fight over.

* * *

The dog demon woke to find himself in a jail cell. Three of the walls were brick, and the other one consisted of black rusty metal bars, attempting to confine him. 'Well, this should be easy enough,' he though as he went to get up. A sudden pain in his chest caused him to sit back down, the sensation overtaking him. "Damn it, what happened?" he grunted as he clutched his chest, feeling a cloth bandage.

"You were injured, so I fixed you up," came a sweet voice from the shadows outside of the cell.

"Who's there!" he called, feeling very vunerable, in a jail cell and unable to move.

The young woman stepped into his line of vision. Her long black hair, those brown eyes... "Damn you!" he yelled, his eyes turning red.

"What's your problem?" she questioned, feeling very threatened.

"Oh, now you're playing dumb? I will never forget what you did to me, Kikyou!"

'Kikyou? He thinks I'm Kikyou? I guess we do have a slight resemblance, but not much...' she thought, looking at his amber eyes. She got to his level, sitting on her knees. "I'm not Kikyou," she stated simply.

"What are you talking about wench? Of coarse you're Kikyou!" he said forcefully as he leaned toward her, only inches from her face. Her scent reached his nose for the first time since the conversation began, and he suddenly came to a realization. She smelled of vanilla, a soothing scent that calmed his body, taming his anger momentarily. "You're... You're not Kikyou..." he mummbled in disbelief. 'This woman can't be her. Kikyou smelled of roses, but this one...'

"I told you," she replied with a slight smile. She swore he made a sound that almost sounded like 'Feh' under his breath. "Well, I would suggest you be grateful to me," she told him as she crossed her arms, angry that this demon was so disrespectful.

He shot her a hard glare, making the color drain from her face. "Why? Because you locked me in a dirty jail cell?" he hissed, anger radiating from him. "You humans are all alike..." he muttered, hoping the girl didn't hear. Even though she was just a human, he felt sort of bad for scarring her like he did. She looked so young... so fragile. 'What's she doing in an army camp?'

"No, because I saved your life." He just stared at this, not sure how to take it. "Everyone wanted to leave you on the battlefield to die."

_- flash back_

"Kagome, we are not taking in this demon," Kikyou told her sternly.

She practically growled at her fellow miko's arrogance. "First off, you don't call the shots. You and I are equals in this army." This earned a glare from Kikyou as she continued. "Second, we can't just leave him here to die! That's cruel!"

Kikyou just looked at the wounded demon, her eyes full of hate. 'What's her problem? I know were fighting them in a war, but if we can save someone, shouldn't we?' Kagome thought nervously as Midoriko approached them.

'It's him...' Kikyou thought. 'I thought I'd never see him again...'

"What's going on here?" Midoriko said as she stopped where the two young mikos were standing.

"Kagome wants to save this worthless demon from death," Kikyou said, scorn filling her voice.

"But we can't just let him die!" Kagome pleaded.

Midoriko looked at each girl. 'On one hand there's Kagome, who cries when we have to kill cattle for dinner. Then there's Kikyou, who wouldn't know compassion if it bit her in the ass...' Midoriko the looked at the demon, his body slowly giving out. Without proper medical treatment, he would die before sunset. 'This might be an interesting experiment...' she thought, a wicked grin crossing her face. "If we take him into the camp, understand he's your responsibility, Kagome," Midoriko finally said, causing Kikyou to gasp.

"You're going to let her take him in?" Kikyou said, disgust lining her tone.

Midoriko turned, giving her a hard glare. "Kindness is something a person learns. I would suggest you take a lesson, Kikyou." With that Midoriko walked away.

Kikyou turned to Kagome, fire in her eyes. "You'll regret this." With that she left, leaving Kagome with the demon with the dog ears.

_- end flash back_

"So you see you are my responsibility. Please don't make me regret saving you," she said with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Feh! When did I ask you to save me?" he said as he crossed his arms.

"Would you have wanted me to just let you die?" she asked, despiration evident in her tone.

This took Inuyasha by surprise. 'Why would this human woman, who doesn't even know me, want to save me from death? I thought all humans were cold and heartless... That's what Naraku said...'

"Hello? Are you listening to me?" she said, trying to bring him back to earth.

"Feh! Whatever, wench," he replied, turning away from her.

Kagome tried not to lose her temper at the injured demon in the cell, but she was losing the pointless battle. "My name it not wench..."

"Like I care wench!"

That was the straw that broke Kagome's back. "My name is Kagome, stupid!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands into the air.

'Kagome...' he thought momentarily, then shook his head. 'No! Just because one human is treating me kindly doesn't mean that the humans should be forgiven!' he told himself with resign, giving her a hard glare.

'I can tell his stay here will be hell for me...' Kaogme thought uneasily. "Please, if you need anything, tell one of the guards to get me. Kagome. If you say wench, they won't get me." She stood to walk away, then turned back to him, meeting her eyes with his. "Oh, and do you see the thing around your neck?"

Suddenly he looked down, seeing a necklace of black beads and ivory fangs hanging loosely around his neck. "What's this about wench?"

She rolled her eyes, choosing to ignore the comment. "It's called a rosary. If I hear that you tried to escape, or do something stupid like that, all I have to do is call out the command word and you will be in quite a bit of pain."

"Feh! How in the hell do you plan to hurt me, wench?" he said as he stood, getting ready to attack the cell.

'I didn't want to do this...' she thought wearily. "SIT!"

With that one word escaping her lips, the demon fell hard to the floor, making a two-inch deep indentation in the ground. "Please don't make me do that again."

As soon as the spell wore off, he shot up, going to the bars. "What in the hell did you do?"

"It's a spell. I'm a miko, remember?"

"But why?"

She sighed at the man's stupidity. "So you won't escape and go on a killing spree around our camp."

He looked shocked. "Even though I'm a demon, I have some pride!" he proclaimed, voice full of anger.

She turned away from him, covering most of her body in shadow. "It wasn't my decision."

The man kept his eyes on the strange woman, so full of mysteries. She confused the hell out of him, angered him because she resembled Kikyou, and yet... she treated him as an equal. 'Well, as much of an equal as possible for her.'

"I'll be back in the morning to check on you, okay... Um, I never caught your name," she said, turning to him once more.

His eyes stared into hers. For a moment she thought he wasn't going to tell her.

"What's your name?" she asked again, this time receiving an answer.

"Inuyasha."

* * *

And that's the end of chapter one! I'm liking where this story is going, but I'll only continue if you **REVEIW!!!!** Thanks so much! Adios my bien amigos and amigas!

Ash


	2. The Search for Kagome

Okay, another chapter for you impatient peoples out there! But I don't mind! Just shows you like it! Anyway, I'm pretty happy with how this story is progressing, and I hope you will be, too! Enjoy!

This chapter is dedicated to my first reveiwer, Suaru! Yay!

* * *

**2 - The Search for Kagome**

The next morning, Kagome came back to the jail, only to find Inuyasha sitting crossed-legged by the window. She motioned for the guard to leave them, and she sat on the floor near the front of the cell. He didn't turn to her, obviously ignoring her. This gave her the oppertunity to take a good look at him.

Inuyasha wore a red haori, which was optimum for his style of fighting. His sword hung at his waist, the sheath old and scratched. But from what she saw during the fight, the sword was enchanted, transforming into a large fang blade with fur at the hilt. She hadn't had much time to gather any more details than that after Kikyou told her to keep her mind on the mission at hand. Kagome practically growled at the thought of the woman she was bound to spend so much time with. Hopefully she would be able to avoid her, spending more time in the prison with the man. Kikyou wouldn't dirty her precious feet with the same soil that a demon walked across. Inuyasha still didn't look at her. His golden amber eyes were locked on the window, as if pleading with it to magically open and let him out. She felt slightly sorry for the dog demon, knowing that his instincts were telling him to run, yet he stayed here. If he really wanted to, he could have escaped while she was sleeping. She would have caught him eventually, though. Kagome prided herself with her spiritual powers, one of which would allow her to find him no matter where he went. The silver dog ears on his head twitched, swiviling to her direction. "Why are you here" he asked suddenly, taking her by surprise.

"What? Well I did promise that I would be back this morning remember" she asked with a smile. He turned to look at her, knowing that wasn't what he had intended to ask.

"No. You're so innocent and young; what are you doing in an army camp"

She remained silent, the man's amber eyes locked onto her's. They were downcast, a foggy look clouding up the chocolate brown.

"I had no where else to go" she stated simply, obviously not wanting to talk about it.

"Why did you want to save me" he asked, changing the subject. 'She'll tell me eventually...' he thought, thinking of different ways to get the information out of her. Then he mentally shook himself, startled at his own thoughts. 'Why in the hell do I care? I don't. I don't care about the wench or why she's here. But I do care why in the hell she saved me. There must be some sort of catch...'

"Why did I save you" she asked to herself more than to him. "I saved you because I didn't want to not save you, if that makes any sense."

Inuyasha just looked at the strange girl, her eyes now clear as she met his gaze, returning it with confidence. "Actually, it does."

A small smile graced her features as she stood, running her slender fingers along the cold metal of the bars lazily. "I wish I could let you out, I really do" she confessed quietly. "Maybe I'm just a soft hearted fool, but I hate keeping anything locked up. By a youkai's very nature they are meant to be in the wild, and it's not right that you remain within these confines."

A small anger filled him, erupting at the unsuspecting young miko. "What in the fucking hell are you talking about! You're the reason I'm in here in the first place, wench! Humans, you're all the same! Always having pity on creatures that are beneath you! Feh, you all piss me off" he concluded as he leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes to block out any looks the girl might send at him.

Then the smell of salt reached his nose, causing him to crack one eye open. "I don't like what I am, Inuyasha. But this is all I can be. I'm trying to convince our leader into letting you go, but someone keeps convincing her otherwise..." she trailed off, wiping away the streams of tears that ran easily down her face. "Now I have to go and train, but I'll be back to bring you some lunch later." With that she left, the scent of tears and vanilla still lacing the air. It hung in Inuyasha's cell, forcing him to think of the little miko.

'Maybe I was to rough on her, but she is just a human...' With that he closed his eyes, falling into a light sleep as the guard entered the room once again, taking his chair by the door, sake in hand.

* * *

"He's what" an aggrivated demon with long silver hair asked his leader for the third time.

"He's been captured. He'll probably be dead by morning, knowing the ruthlessness of the Ningenteki army" Naraku replied, an uncaring gaze resting in his black eyes.

Sesshomaru remained silent. 'Inuyasha... captured?'

"That's all I wanted to tell you" Naraku said, interrupting the amber eyed demon's thoughts. "You are dismissed." He waved a lazy hand at him, sending him away.

With a small bow, Sesshomaru exited the large tent. He growled as he made his way back to a smaller tent. He bursted through the tent's flap, startling it's single inhabitant.

"What happened now" a deep feminine voice laced with impatience asked as he rudely interrupted her serene environment.

"Inuyasha has been captured by the humans" he replied, voice hard as stone.

"Hm... Why do you care" she questioned, giving him a curious look.

"I may not have liked my brother, but he is still my brother."

She simply nodded. "He may not be dead, you know" she said after a moment.

"The humans will surely kill him."

A small laugh escaped Kagura's throat. "Unlike Naraku, I am informed. The humans are not all beasts and savages as he claims. Some of them have a brain, and if you're lucky, you'll find one with a heart. If Inuyasha happened to stumble upon one of these rare humans, then he may still be alive."

He just stared back cooly, thinking about her words. "I shall find out." As he walked out the tent, he felt a tug on the sleeve of his kimono where he was missing an arm. That was all thanks to his brother.

_flash back -_

"Now Inuyasha, swing the sword when you see the scar in the demonic auras." Sesshomaru had been telling him this all day, yet Inuyasha never seemed to be able to hit the scar in the right spot. He would consistantly miss and blame it on the weight of the sword.

"Feh" the stubborn eleven year old hanyou called out, frusterated that his older sibling was harping on him. 'Well, I'll show him,' the prideful boy thought as he approached the break in the flow of the demonic auras that he and his brother emitted. 'I'll hit it this time...' He ran toward where the rip appeared, pulling the gigantic fang blade over his head, preparing for an attack. "Wind Scar" he called out, joy filling his voice as he felt the sword hit the scar perfectly. Or thats what he thought.

Within an instant, the powerful blast had evaporated, but not before hitting one very aggrivated demon. Sesshomaru almost screamed in pain due to the fact that his left arm was now dismembered from his body. Inuyasha was grounded for a full year thanks to that incident.

_- end flash back_

"I'm coming with you" she said, leaving no room for questions. His narrow amber eyes gazed into her's, asking the questions that he didn't. "There are powerful miko's at that camp. They can sense youkai coming from miles away. If you just stroll up and ask if Inuyasha is alive, they might just take it the wrong way."

"And what are you proposing"

At those words, she exited the tent, silently beckoning him to follow. They walked through the youkai camp, eyes following them as they walked stiffly toward the edge of the clearing. But after they passed, no one paid them much attention; it wasn't anything odd to see the pair walking through the camp silently, leaving for a few hours on a mission for Naraku. Once they were a good distance away, Kagura stopped, pulling one of the silky white feathers from her dark hair. With a single flick of her wrist, the feather grew, becoming large enough for the two adult youkai to ride comfortably. "We have a better chance of not being detected by the mikos if we are in the air." She climbed on and sat delicately, and looked back to him with her ruby red eyes.

Sesshomaru stared skeptically at the feather, his amber eyes narrowing even more at the prospect of flying on the strange device. He'd seen Kagura ride it through the sky thousands of time, yet he never imagined getting on it himself. The down of the feather was soft as his clawed hand traveled over the base, giving it a light push to see if it was sturdy. When his inspection was compleate, he lightly stepped onto the feather, testing his weight on the white surface.

Kagura almost laughed at his antics, but she knew that if she did, he wouldn't ride. 'It's the safest way.' When she was sure he was on, she mentally moved the feather up into the sky, swiftly accending the tree tops. Startled by the sudden movement, he crouched down, grabbing her shoulder with his right hand. As he got used to the feel of being moved by the feather, he attempted to move his hand from her shoulder, only to almost fall off. Finally, getting tired of the odd movement, she placed her hand on top of his, pinning it to her shoulder.

He gave her an odd look, which made her cheeks turn slightly red. "I'm only doing this so you won't fall off."

Sesshomaru only remained quiet, unconciously tightening the grip on her shoulder.

After almost fifteen minutes of flying, they were straight above the enemy camp. "I think we're safe at this altitude" she whispered.

He silently nodded, leaning down slightly to sniff the air. Kagura was nervous; she may have not inparticularly cared for Sesshomaru's half-breed brother, but he was a good warrior, and Sesshomaru cared for him. In a very cold, distant way, but he did care. Without knowing it, she ran her fingers along his knuckles lightly, making Sesshomaru's arm tingle.

Not stopping to look at her, he kept searching for his brother's scent. As long as the hanyou was alive, he wouldn't barge into the camp to rescue him. He was an adult now. If Inuyasha got himself in this situation, he could get himself out. Sesshomaru wanted only to know if his brother was alive. Finally, he picked up Inuyasha's scent, proving him very much alive and healthy.

"He's unharmed."

Kagura let out the breath she didn't know she was holding and stopped rubbing his knuckles, her cheeks flushed again. "Will you go save him"

"No" he replied simply as Kagura turned the leaf around for the journey back to camp.

Sesshomaru sat quietly, still holding a strong grip on Kagura's shoulder. 'Maybe the humans will treat him well. Hopefully he'll have a better life,' he thought as he remembered the cruelty his brother faced from the demons in the army. 'Stay safe... little brother.'

* * *

"So Kagome, how's the half-breed?" Kikyou taunted as Kagome approached the training field. The only other people there besides Kagome and Kikyou were Sango and Miroku. All the other soilders were still asleep, not awakened by the sun that was part way over the horizon. She just rolled her eyes at her fellow miko, passing her to pick up her bow and tie her quiver of arrows to her back.

"Don't call him a half-breed. He has a heart and a mind, you know" she replied cooly, stringing an arrow gracefully, aiming at the target across the lawn made out of straw. Her fingers pulled back, gently tightening the tension on the string. As she let it go, the arrow soared gracefully and quickly, cutting through the air. It stuck perfectly to the center of the target.

"You can't deny what he is, you know." Kagome could tell that Kikyou would not let this drop. She picked up her bow and arrow as well, following suit. The older miko shot her arrow, hitting the target along side Kagome's.

"I'm not. You're just being to judgemental."

"I have my reasons." Kagome gave her a side long glance, her curiosity getting the best of her.

"What are you talking about, Kikyou"

She grinned, obviously accomplishing some sort of goal for herself. "Let's just say I know the half-demon a little better than you. And I know that he's not what he seems. On the outside you might see a man with long silver hair and cute little doggy ears, but he's still only a half-breed. The world isn't all flowers and sunshine, you know. Get a clue, Kagome. People and demons alike will take advantage of your soft heart if you don't toughen up soon. Get your act together. We're in a war, and whether you like it or not, the demise of that hanyou prisoner is evident." With that she walked off to make her rounds of the camp.

"Uh... Kagome" Miroku asked as the monk and the demon slayer approached her. An arrow was gripped in her fist, and as Sango touched her shoulder, it snapped. The pieces of the arrow fell to the ground and Kagome marched off the training grounds, heading back to camp.

Sango was about to follow when Miroku grabbed her arm. "Let go, Miroku. She's upset" Sango pleaded as she tugged at the grip on her arm that held her to her spot. She was about to hit him with hiraikotsu when he finally spoke.

"Let her go. She's an adult and we need to stop trying to solve her problems for her. Besides, I'd much rather be here with you than with an angry Kagome."

At first Sango was flattered when he said he'd wanted to spend time with her, but then when she felt a farmiliar hand on her bottom, she took back all the nice thoughs of him. "Pervert" she said as she brought the boomerang bone over her body and hit him on the head, leaving a respectable sized bump.

She strode off farther into the training ground, dusting off her hands with a satisfied grin on her face.

"Damn..." was all Miroku could mutter as he felt himself slipping out of conciousness.

* * *

The sun was setting over the horizon as Sango stepped out of Midoriko's tent, Miroku on her heels. "I'm worried. Kagome had been missing all day." She blocked the orange sunlight from her eyes as she scanned for any sign of the missing miko.

"Even I am starting to feel a bit of worry for her" Miroku said, his worry in his voice.

They decided to split up and search for her, fearing something might've happened to the fraile young woman. Miroku made his was around the camp, keeping his eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary. As his eyes landed on the jail, a sudden thought came to him. He jogged with a crooked gait as he approached the small prison that was erected on the outskirts of the camp. When he entered, he found the guard sitting on his chair, black out after obvious drinking. 'Ah, Mushin, my friend. Drunk again,' he thought, laughing to himself as he took the empty comtainer from his hands and sat it on the floor near his seat. Miroku walked farther into the room, instantly spotting the hanyou dressed in his bright red haori in the shadowed room. The newly risen moon peaked in through the window as the half-demon's amber eyes stared out it intently, as if waiting for something.

Miroku stood silently, wandering what he could say to the man, when he was beaten to the punch. "What do you want, monk" he called over his shoulder, one of his large eyes coming to rest on Miroku.

Feeling instantly nervous, he approached the cell and smiled broadly. "Hello there" he said brightly. 'From what Kagome told me, he isn't as bad as he seems. I'll give him a chance.'

"What do you want" he repeated again, aggrivation evident in his voice.

"I only came to see if Lady Kagome had been here recently."

The hanyou looked at him fully now, those amber eyes giving Miroku a penetrating look. "No. Not since early this morning."

Miroku let out a worried sigh. "Well then..." Miroku turned to leave.

"Hey, wait" the man with the dog ears called to him. Miroku turned, surprised at his sudden utburst.

"Yes"

"Why did you ask where she was"

Miroku looked at him for a moment, as if deciding wether to tell him. With a small sigh, he sat outside of the cell, just a foot away from Inuyasha. "This morning Kagome and another priestess by the name of Kikyou had a little argument." He scratched his head, re-thinking his words. "Well, it really wasn't a argument. Kikyou told her some very cruel things. I feel sorry for poor Kagome. Kikyou really let her have it. And Kagome, still young, took it very harshly." Miroku stood, keeping eye contact with the hanyou. "She's been missing since early this morning. At first we were just going to let her cool off, but when she didn't return we got worried. Myfriend Sango is searching the forest for her, and I thought she might've stopped by here. But if you haven't seen her, then I should get looking again. Good evening Inuyasha."

"Hey! How did you know my name" Inuyasha shot back, his eyes wide. 'The wench is missing...'

"Oh sorry" Miroku chuckled. "Kagome has talked of you often since you were captured. That's all." As he continued to walk out, he turned once more. "And my name is Miroku. If you need anything, wake Mushin up and ask for me." With that the monk left the room, continuing on his search for Kagome.

Inuyasha continued to stare out the window at the crecent moon. He had been sensing something strange all day, like something was wrong. 'That little miko...' Inuaysha thought. 'Is she what's worrying me?'

'Of coarse not! She's just a human! A stupid wench!' a loud voice erupted from the back of his mind. His demon side.

'But she was still kind to me. How can I just not be concerned?' a smaller, yet strong, voice asked the demon presence. His human side.

'Who cares? Remember what happened last time you trusted a human?' the demon shot again, knowing he hit a tender spot in the human side's heart.

'Kikyou... Why?'

Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted by a scream and the strong scent of blood coming from somewhere near by in the forest. His nose inhaled the scent, finding the underlying smell quickly. Vanilla. 'Kagome!'

* * *

To My Friends and Reveiwers -

**Suaru** - Hehe! Thanks! Yes, much of the humor would be lost if Miroku wasn't a pervert! And did you think I would write a story where Kikyou was NICE? Ha! That would be that day! Anyway, thanks, my wonderful beta!

**JadeElemental** - Ahh! Don't kill me! I promise I'll work on the next chapter of SOAL, I just don't have tons of time! I'm surprised with how much I do get done! Of coarse Inuyasha would've helped her, but no... Kikyou had to be like that! (thats the way I wrote it!) Hehe! Kikyou needs to go to hell and stay there! Anyway, Love and Hugs friend! Thanks for reveiwing!

**Strawberrie Bunny** - Thanks so much! Sorry, but school's be rough lately. I'm surprised I get as many chapters out as I do! Hehe!

**Tobias** - Aw! Thank you!

**Chrono4747** - Since aparently you wanted this update (coughs) here it is! Hope you liked it! Thanks!

**Hanyou Vixen** - Hehe! Thankies! Okay, I WILL be working on another chappie for SOAL! You are probably the fifth person to ask me that, so yes, I'll get right on that! TTYL and all my Love and Hugs!

**Hakan of the immortal fire** - Thanks! Nice to know that if I get a flame, you'll beat them up! Luckily I haven't had one yet, and hopefully I won't, but if I do I'll tell you! Hehe!

**sapphire-glass** - Thankies! Yes, I wanted to tie the show in a little, and the rosary just kinda came to me! One of my smarter ideas if I do say so myself! Anyway, ahhh! I have the next chappie of LAK written, don't yell at me! Hehe! TTYL! Love and Hugs!

* * *

And thats the end of that! Oh, and if you haven't read my story 'Lovers and Killers', I would highly appreciate that! I'm about to break 300 reveiws with that one! Yay! I can only hope that this story will become as loved as that one! So now you know what to do! **Reveiw!** Adios, my bien amigos and amigas!

Ash


	3. Conflicting Emotions

Okay guys, I am sorry this is so late, but I've had exams all last week, and I've been behind in school and such... but I promise updates will be sooner! Well, not much to say here today... Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read this story, and I promise, you wont be disappointed! Enjoy!

Dedicated to my first reviewer, Suaru! You're ALWAYS first, you know that? Hehe!

* * *

**3 - Conflicting Emotions**

She was being attacked. The demon had snuck up on her, taking her by surprise. Wandering around all day crying had made her tired, and she sat at the base of a large tree, resting her head against the rough bark.

She didn't understand why Kikyou hated her so much. Kagome had always been nice to her fellow miko, never sending her a harsh word. Yet, Kikyou seemed to have such supreme disgust for her. Almost as much as Kikyou hated demons. If there was one thing Kagome knew, it was that Kikyou thought demons were the scorn of the earth and that they had no place among the living.

Kagome didn't know what she could do. The demon had slashed at her side, creating a large cut where the blood flowed freely, staining her miko garb with crimson. Taking one bloody hand from her side and drawing a bow from the quiver on her back, she strung the arrow on the bow, aiming for the demon's heart. Suddenly her vision became blurry, clouding where the demon stood. 'Must be the blood loss...' she thought, her mind scrambled. Giving up, she laid her bow down, the arrow falling to the puddle of blood at her knees. She held up her hand, focusing her powers at her palm. As the demon approached for a second attack, it was stopped by a barrier erected by Kagome's spiritual power. 'Ha... So it worked!' she congratulated herself on her latest power. Being a miko still in training, she learned new techniques all the time. 'A barrier would come in handy in a war,' she had thought to herself when Kikyou offered to show her how to do it. And now it saved her life. 'But how long can I hold this up?'

* * *

Inuyasha starred out the window, knowing what he heard. "It was a woman screaming," he muttered to himself. "Not just any woman... according to the scent I'm picking up, it was the wench." Glancing over his shoulder at the guard to make sure he was still sound asleep, Inuyasha brought his hand up and slashed down, destroying the wall that kept him in.

As he stepped out, he fought every urge in his body just to run as far away as he could from the human camp and never think of this experience again. But that wench interfered in his plans again. He hopped into the air, landing on top of a tree. Sniffing the air lightly, he decided that she was west of his current position. He looked over, immediately sensing a large and moderately powerful demon. 'What kind of trouble did the wench get in now?' he thought as he leaped off the tree and raced through the forest at demon speed.

When he arrived in the clearing, his eyes widened at the scene that played out in front of him. The demon reared up on it's back legs, ready to strike a woman that was crouched against a nearby tree. The smell of blood hit him hard as his eyes spotted the crimsonliquid pooled at her knees, an arrow lay forgotten in the foul smelling puddle. One small hand clutched her side, where the blood flowed freely, and the other hand was held up in a position to suggest that she was trying to hold the massive demon off with her bare hands. 'Feh,' he thought. 'She can't do that...'

Suddenly the demon attacked, too quick for Inuyasha to come to her rescue. He sprinted forward, hoping to get the demon off her. But to his surprise, the demon's head bounced off an invisible barrier, bloodying it's nose. 'Wench is stronger than I thought,' he thought shortly, losing his train of thought.

'I can't hold this much longer...' Kagome thought helplessly as she felt her spiritual barrier failing. The last of her senses picked up a familiar demon nearby. Her chocolate brown eyes saw him. There he stood in his red fire rat haori, his golden eyes locked on her form.

A small smile graced her face as she finally slipped into the unconsciousness that claimed her mind. "Inuyasha..."

His ears perked as he heard his name escape her lips, causing his heart to pound quicker. Then she fell to the ground, her last defense falling with her. Inuyasha was enraged as he saw the demon lick it's lips, looking at Kagome with hungry eyes.

"Oh, hell no!" he exclaimed, leaping at the demon, easily taking it's head off with one swipe. Brushing off his hands of the imaginary dirt from effortlessly slaying the creature, he turned to Kagome.

Walking over to her, he realized just how much blood she had lost. 'She's in danger of dying!' he thought suddenly. In pure instinct, he picked her up in his arms, the bows that she held limply in her hands dropping to the ground near her abandoned arrow. He slightly shook her, hoping she would wake up. 'Well, duh that wasn't going to work!' he scolded himself as he started running at a demon speed, still being careful not to move her too much.

He entered the camp, sniffing the air. 'Where's the damn monk when you need him!' he though furiously. "Shit, what was his name again?" he muttered, thinking hard to remember. A sudden pain appeared in his head, proving to him that thinking to hard was bad for a person's health. 'Ah, now I remember!' he thought happily as the monk's name finally came to his mind. The expression 'No pain, no gain' came to mind as he walked further into the camp. "Miroku!" he yelled as loud as his lungs would allow. "Miroku, damn you! Get your ass over here!" he yelled even louder.

He looked down to the girl in his arms. Subconsciously, he hoped she was okay. 'Feh! Why are you worrying? Hell, why did you even go save her?' the demon side of his brain asked him.

'Because she treated me normal for once in my life,' his human side replied in a worried tone. 'Why would I want her dead?'

'She captured you and put you in jail! Duh, you moron!' the demon shot back, not willing to back down from this fight.

'In the process she also saved my life,' the human reasoned.

'Feh! She's still just a human woman...' the demon told the human.

'Yes, but a kind one.'

'I hate you, you know that!' his demon side exclaimed at his human side.

"Inuyasha! What are you doing?" Miroku said as he came running up to him, two women following him.

One he recognized at the demon exterminator that knocked him unconscious in the battle. She was one hell of a fighter. And the other woman, he recognize immediately as well. 'Kikyou...' he thought sadly, his ears dropped to his head.

"Inuyasha, what have you done?" Kikyou said as they stopped infront of him.

"What are you talking about, bitch?" he growled, uncertain of where she was going with this.

"Well, it's pretty obvious! You attacked poor Kagome!"

Before Inuyasha could say anything, Miroku stepped infront of him, blocking his view of Kikyou. "I would say that our demon friend here saved Kagome."

'Friend?' Inuyasha thought. 'He barely knows me, yet he calls me a friend?'

"Yes. These wounds weren't make by an inu-demon," the demon slayer said as she looked closer at Kagome's wounds. She made sure not to get too close; Inuyasha was holding her very close to his body, showing a deep protectiveness. 'I won't give him any reason to feel threatened.' "Looks more to me like an ogre demon's claw marks. But that's only my professional opinion."

Kikyou glared at them, then looked back to Inuyasha. He looked at her with amber eyes that held too many emotions for the shocked miko to process at that moment. Giving Miroku and Sango one last withering glance, she turned and marched off, her direction obvious. She was heading to Midoriko's tent.

"Should we follow her, Miroku?" Sango asked, still trying to assess the extent of Kagome's wounds without touching her.

"No. Let's get Kagome well first, then we'll deal with Kikyou. Inuyasha, if you would please follow me," Miroku said kindly, motioning for the hanyou to follow.

'The monk and the demon slayer... They defended me. If I was alone, Kikyou would have dragged me to their leader and I would be dead for assaulting Kagome. Maybe... maybe there are some good humans out there after all. Maybe.'

They continued walking in silence until they reached a canvas tent near the far edge of the camp grounds. Miroku motioned for them to wait a few feet away from the tent while he walked up. Folding back the flap, he poked his head in, and laughed good naturedly. "Come on guys."

The strong scent of medicinal herbs hit Inuyasha's nose as he, Kagome and Sango entered. His eyes scanned the area inside the tent for possible danger, always alert for anything after the young girl that slept in his arms. Somehow in the past day he had grow extremely protective over the miko. He attributed this to the fact that she saved his life. After much thought, he accepted this fact. By his very nature, he knew that he had to protect her to repay his debt to her. That was all this sudden urge to watch over her was. He would never admit that he cared for the girl to anyone, not even himself. Inuyasha didn't need love; it only brought heart ache and weakness. Besides, she was just a human.

An old woman sitting in the middle of the hut motioned him to lay Kagome down on a mat near the small fire that blazed near her. He was hesitant at first, but he sat her on the mat, not leaving her side.

"Hello, young hanyou. I am Kaede, the healer of this army." He nodded gruffly to show his understanding. "Now, child. Ye must tell me all that happened when ye found Kagome."

Inuyasha sat, crossing his legs and propping his rusty sword against his chest. The others followed suit, Miroku and Sango sitting near enough to hear and see him but not enough to make him threatened. No matter how much they wanted to believe Kagome when she said he was different and that he had a kind heart, it was still hard for them to feel at ease. Especially Sango. After the slaying of her family she wasn't sure if she could ever look at a demon as more than an enemy. But she would try. For Kagome's sake.

"Well," he began, thinking of the best way to describe what happened without revealing any of his previous thoughts of the miko. "I was in jail," he continued, emphasizing the word 'jail' with utter disgust, "when I heard a scream. Then I smelled blood, along with her scent." He jerked a thumb toward Kagome and quickly glanced over to her. His cheeks flushed bright red as he saw that the old healer had taken off her large shirt and started cleaning and bandaging her side. Inuyasha thanked Kami for the cloth that so dutifully bound her chest from his eyes. "Anyway," he mumbled as he turned back to the demon slayer and the monk, who had an odd gleam in his eye. Choosing to ignore it, Inuyasha dragged on with the story. "I broke down the cell wall and went to the source of the smell. I found her in a clearing about a mile to the west. She was huddled against a tree, projecting a spirit barrier to protect herself from the claws of the beast. When she saw me, for some reason she let the barrier drop and she passed out. I slain the demon and brought her here immediately."

When he finished, the tent was silent except for the sounds of Kaede tying the bandages on Kagome's stomach. "Inuyasha?" Sango said, slicing through the uncomfortable silence.

He turned toward her, looking at her magenta eyes. They narrowed, sending a chill down his spine. But the strange look left her face as soon as it came, and he dismissed it without a second thought. What else did he expect from a demon slayer? "Yeah?" he said, a hard edge in his voice.

She just looked back at him for a moment, as if sizing him up with her eyes. "Would you assist me in taking Kagome back to her tent for the night?"

He simply nodded. Inuyasha would've gone anyway. Suddenly, the tent flap swung open, revealing a tall woman with long dark hair and doe brown eyes filled with concern. Inuyasha's nose took in her scent and memorized it for future reference. Then, sniffing a very different scent in the air, his ears drooped and a spot in the dirt became particularly interesting. He smelled roses. Kikyou was near.

Midoriko stood before them, taking in the scene. 'From what Kikyou told me, Kagome was badly injured. But it looks like it had been taken care of...' A smile graced her face before she began to speak. "Hello, young hanyou. I am Midoriko, leader of the Ningenteki Army."

Surprising everyone in the tent, Inuyasha stood and gave a quick half bow before looking her in the eye. He had knowledge of army rankings. She was their leader, and he would be respectful while he was here. "Inuyasha," he replied gruffly to the unspoken question.

"Don't speak to our leader unless she asksof you, half-breed," a cold tone announced from behind Midoriko. The voice had a strange effect on everyone in the tent: Midoriko sighed, Kaede rolled her eyes, Miroku and Sango both held an aggravated expression, and Inuyasha's canine ears were flat to his head and he stepped slightly closer to Kagome.

"Kikyou! Please, don't be rude to our guest!" Midoriko told the miko in a hard tone.

"Guest?" she sputtered, unable to understand what Midoriko was saying.

"Yes. As thanks, Inuyasha shall be our guest. Unfortunately, because of protocol, I must insist you stay within the confines of the camp," she told him sternly. "If I find that you have left for any reason, then you must go back to jail."

"But he's one of them... He could kill us all!" Kikyou practically yelled. Inuyasha wanted to yell back, and he might have done it, if not for a hand resting on his shoulder. He looked behind him, only to see Kagome standing quietly. At first he was shocked, then he turned, concentrating on the woman who would decide his future.

"Ah, but you forget. He already saved one of us," she said with a twinkle in her eyes. "This can be, a trial period, if you will. He will stay with Kagome at all times, and she will keep him in 'check'. If he proves himself trustworthy, he just might have a place here after all." With that she left, giving Kagome a quick nod and a gentle smile.

A grin spread across Kagome's face. Then she looked to Inuyasha, hoping to see her sentiments reflected. Instead, he looked worried and confused. Just then everyone else in the tent noticed Kagome was awake.

"Kagome!" Sango called as she rushed to her friend. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay. My healing powers are kicking in. I'll be fine."

"Oh, good!" she replied, relief evident in her tone. The others fussed, asking multiple times if she was okay. Inuyasha stayed in the shadows, watching the group closely. They seemed to genuinely care for one another. He wasn't used to this kind of thinking. In the demon camp, you left everyone alone and they left you alone. There was no companionship among them, and they liked it that way. Even in a battle they would work independently. This had cause their downfall may times against the well organized demon slayers.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome said, bringing him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah, wench?"

She rolled her eyes and ignored the comment. "Come on. You have to stay with me and I'm tired." Kagome pulled at the deep red cloth of his haori, urging him toward the tent's exit.

After calling a farewell to Kaede, Miroku and Sango followed them out. The group walked in silence, the stars twinkling in the night sky. Inuyasha's amber eyes glanced up at the moon. 'Quarter' he thought. 'About three more days... Damn.' Although, he realized he probably shouldn't worry here. His human form would be more accepted among the soldiers than his demon form. 'Or maybe they will see it as a weakness and attack me... But I'll still kick their assess... but if they have weapons...' These thoughts continued until they reached the center of the camp.

"This way Inuyasha," Kagome said as she pointed to their left, opposite of where the monk and demon slayer were going.

"Goodnight, you two!" Sango called behind her.

"Yeah, have fun..." Miroku started to say before getting hit by Sango's boomerang. "What?"

"You know what you pervert!" she replied back. Their small argument could be heard for a two mile radius as they walked to their tents among the demon slayers. Of coarse, Miroku should have been near the front of the camp with Kagome and Kikyou, but after he met Sango he moved his tent. Of coarse, this didn't sit well with said demon slayer. When he refused to go back, Midoriko gave up fighting with him about it and told Sango to deal with it.

Once they reached their respective tents, Sango shot Miroku a worried look. Sensing her emotion, Miroku said, "What's wrong, my love?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm worried about Kagome. Do you really think she's correct in trusting Inuyasha? Even though he saved her, he is still a demon. He could just be spying. Or worse, sent to kill us all in our sleep."

Miroku had thought these thoughts as well. "I know how you feel, Sango, but Kagome has a good judge of character. After I saw the way she looked at him, I have no doubts. As long as she trusts him, so shall I."

"I guess..." she murmured back, knowing the monk was right.

"Well then, don't worry your pretty little head about it then. Get some sleep, dear Sango. I have a feeling tomorrow shall be very interesting..."

* * *

Inuyasha followed Kagome silently as the walked near the front of the camp. 'How can she be so trusting? I don't understand... I'm a demon. She's a human. It could never work. Not even a solid bond could be formed because of our races. So why is she doing this...?'

"Well, here we are," she told him, pointing to a fairly small tent infront of them. She tugged the fabric near his shoulder, causing his head to bend near her. "Just to let you know... Kikyou's tent is fairly close by."

Her warm breath on his sensitive ear made him heart beat faster, jumping into his throat. 'Her scent... it's so wonderful...' Once she departed from his ear, he took a deep breath, clearing the thoughts from his head. 'She's a human. You're a demon. She's a human. You're a demon...' he chanted over in his head like a mantra, convincing himself that what he felt for just a moment was nothing.

She lead him into the cramped space, the tent flap dropping behind her. Even in the slight moonlight that shined through the thin canvas material, he made out her blush easily. "Sorry it's so small..." she squeaked out, timidly sitting down on her small futon that lay on the ground.

"Feh! Whatever, wench," he said, situating himself in the farthest possible corner from her.

They sat in silence for a while. Kagome had her back to Inuyasha, and he just stared at her. The questions plagued his mind, until he couldn't stand it anymore. "Why!"

"Huh?" She turned to him, still laying on her futon. His eyes looked distressed, causing her heart to do a somersault. 'I wonder what's wrong?'

"Why are you so kind, so trusting in me? I'm a demon. I'm not your species. How in the hell can you treat me like you would anyone else?" His questions spilled out of him in a torrent, a deluge of his emotions in his sharp, gruff voice.

Her brown eyes widened as he spoke. "Inuyasha," she said, her comforting voice soothing his fire and anger, "that's a very simple question with a very simple answer."

Inuyasha's eyes locked on Kagome. A large, loving smile was spread across her face as she replied. "I know you have a good heart. No matter your race or breed, that's enough for me." With that she turned and closed her eyes, sleep over taking her limp body.

The man with the white canine ears looked at the woman. Her raven black hair glittered with the faint moonlight as her breathing patterns regulated, slowing to a steady pace.

'What can I do?' he thought. 'She goes against everything I've heard since I was young. Humans and demons are not to intermix. Everyone, from Naraku to my own brother told me that. But now I find myself here, with her, and I couldn't imagine being any place better...'

* * *

To my Friends and Reviewers -

**Suaru** - No, it's most definently impossible, especially in my stories! Mwahahaha! (cough cough) Anyway, yes, I put that chappie out too quick and got myself behind, but I'm nice and caught up now with a good portion of the next chappies of all my stories done, so be expecting them! And insanity is a wonderful thing my friend... Trust me, I know! Hehe! I'll TTYL, my wonderful beta! Umm... so much love and hugs that you can't even count them! Yay!

**Hanyou Vixen** - Well, this wasn't very soon, sorry about that. Anyway, thankies! Hope ya like this one too! TTYL! Love and Hugs, buddy!

**Chrono4747 **- Thanks! I really don't mind the emails asking for the new chappie! In fact, I encourage them! It (sometimes) helps to kick my butt into shape and get typing! Hehe! So thanks for caring! TTYL!

**kayzer** - Well, get used to them, because I love my cliffies! (laughs like a mad woman) Erm... anyway, thanks so much! Yes, there will be a plot, but it will come later on! Promise!

**sapphire-glass** - I am so darn special! Yes, the sledgehammer hold a certain power over people... (smashes a near by lamp and laughs) Whoops... I'm gonna have to pay for that. Darn. Anyway, remember... boys have cooties! (j/ for any male readers out there!) I luv ya too, my fuzzy friend! Hehe! TTYL! Love and Hugs!

**Psycotica Bunny** - Thanks so much! I'll try! (sweatdrops)

* * *

And that's the end of chapter 3! I'm well into chapter four, so keep an eye out for it! Adios, my amigos and amigas!

Ash


	4. The Mission That Changes Everything

Hey guys! Here's another chappie! I think this is one of my best ideas for a story, and I promise, it will pick up the pace! I guarantee those of you who are reading this story will not be disappointed! Enjoy!

Dedicated to my first reviewer, kayzer, and my wonderful beta, Suaru, for being so patient with me...; Love ya girl!

* * *

**4 - The Mission That Changes Everything**

The sky was black, and the sun was blood red. Demons rampaged through the camp, knocking down tents and humans alike, crimson blood spilling over the deep emerald grass. He looked around, bodies littering the ground around his feet.

Then he saw a flash of silver fall from the sky. Sesshomaru. "Little brother!" he called, Kagura landing gracefully by his side. "Help us finish the humans!"

Inuyasha just stood still, seeing people that he had just seen the day before dead on the ground. His amber eyes were wide with shock as he slowly looked at the human's faces. He cringed when he reached two faces in particular the monk and the demon slayers. They had died fighting, he could tell that much.

Then a small high pitched scream caught his silvery canine ear's attention, causing them to swivel around. He turned to see none other than their leader, Naraku, holding a young woman by the neck and dangling her in the air several feet off the ground. Her raven black hair glowed red against the strange sunlight, her face hidden from his view. He didn't need to see her face though; he knew who she was.

"Kagome..." he muttered, finding that his limbs were practically frozen in place.

"Die you miserable miko!" Naraku exclaimed, his voice full of triumph.

Inuyasha wanted to do something, but found that he couldn't. Suddenly Naraku plunged his hand through her stomach, his lanky fingers emerging from her back, dripping her shining blood as he smirked at the pained look on her face. He could see her face now. Her brown eyes were wide, tears streaming down her pallid checks. Inuyasha was in shock. Naraku withdrew his hand, flinging her to the ground.

Inuyasha walked slowly over to her, looking down at her dying body. "Inuyasha..." she called to him, her voce small and distant. He wanted to reach out and touch her, wipe the tears from her face. But something held him back. Something deep inside told him not to touch her. "Inuyasha..." Her voice was slightly louder, ringing through his sensitive ears. Suddenly he felt pressure on his shoulders. "Inuyasha!"

He blinked. Suddenly he wasn't outside; he was in a tent, the sun barely up in the distance. A sweet, familiar scent engrossed his senses, causing his heart rate to quicken slightly. As his vision came in clearer, he saw a face inches away from his own, two large brown eyes starring back at him. "Inuyasha! Wake up! We've gotta go!" Kagome said softly, noticing how his ears twitched every time she spoke.

"Feh! Back off, wench!"

She sighed and stood, smoothing out her large red pants in the process. "Whatever. Come on, you lazy hanyou!" she said in an airy tone as she exited the tent, leaving Inuyasha to get up properly.

He watched her delicate shadow through the tent as she walked a couple feet away and stopped. Her head turned to the tent, obviously waiting for him to follow. 'A dream...' he told himself. 'It had all been a dream...'

* * *

The two walked silently through the forest, the air thick with tension. Inuyasha walked a couple feet behind her, never letting her leave his sight. Even though he didn't want to admit it, his dream had spooked him.

'It had seemed so real... Everyone was dead... and Kagome...'

"We're here Inuyasha," Kagome told them as they came to a stop in a large field. He looked around, spying the monk and the demon slayer from the day before. And another woman, dressed in miko grab. 'Kikyou...'

"Well, I know you already know Kikyou," she said, her voice stiff with hurt and irritation. Inuyasha swiftly looked to Kagome, finding her warm eyes narrow slits as she looked on at the three warriors preparing for training.

'Why do I get this feeling when I am around Kikyou and Inuyasha? Like there's some secret between them that I won't ever understand? Not that I want to... But... Why do I get this way? Is it... jealousy? That even though I saved him and was kind to him, and she is cruel and says horrid things about him, that he somehow seems to care for her?' Kagome's thoughts were swirling in her head, colliding with one another harshly. Suddenly she came back to reality with a hand on her shoulder shaking her slightly.

"Kagome?" he said, attempting to jar her from her thoughts.

"Hmm?" she mumble, shaking her head. A slight blush crossed her face and she turned her gaze away from him, muttering a quick apology. "Anyway, you know Kikyou. The monk's name is Miroku. He's a nice enough guy, but sometimes his hands have minds of their own, or so he claims... And the demon slayer is Sango. She's the leader of the slayers, and she's pretty tough. Though she does have a soft side. The recent loss of her family has hit her hard."

"Casualties of the fight?" he asked.

"Yes. Her father and little brother were slaughtered."

He looked to her, his eyes widening. "Little brother?"

"Yeah, Kohaku. Sweet kid, only thirteen. It's a shame he died so young."

Inuyasha looked at his claws, the painful fact that he killed Sango's little brother bringing the sharp pang of guilt to his heart.

"Come on, they're waiting!" she said as she grabbed his hand and dragged him to the middle of the field. As he approached, Kikyou gave him a look that told him everything he needed to know.

It's over. You're not worthy to be here. Don't get in the way.

He stayed clear of her the whole time. Instead of getting in the way, he immediately hopped into a tree, setting himself on a branch comfortably. He scanned the surrounding area, finding that they had walked nearly two miles away from the camp. 'So, is this what they do everyday?'

He watched them train for the entire morning. Sango and Miroku would practice with hand on hand battles, much to the delight of the monk. The demon slayer had a slight advantage of strength, but the monk was quicker. This made for an interesting fight. When she would swing her giant boomerang, he would barely manage to dodge. But Inuyasha wasn't paying much attention to them. Instead his eyes were focused on the two mikos that were stringing their bows and inspecting their arrows silently. Both apparently were satisfied with the quality of their equipment as they stood, preparing to take their places.

Kagome stood infront of the first target and Kikyou took her place in front of the second. They simultaneously raised their bows, both perfectly in line with the other. Suddenly their bows were down and neither of them were holding an arrow.

Inuyasha blinked and shook his head. 'Did I miss something?' He glanced over to the two large targets. His eyes widened as he spied two arrows, both placed stunningly in the very center of the two bull's eyes. 'They have good aim,' he thought, knowing immediately it was an understatement. Without even batting an eye, the two mikos walked over to the targets and plucked their arrows out, taking their places a slight bit further from the targets and firing again.

Much of the day continued like this, and he was bored stiff by the time Kagome called to him for lunch. Hopping out of this tree, he placed a scowl on his face as he approached the young miko. "Damn, wench. You guys are really boring me, ya know?" he told her smugly with a yawn.

She just turned with a blank expression and beckoned him to follow. Confused, he decided to keep his mouth shut and follow the small woman away from her training group and into a small clearing, where she sat down a small cloth bundle that contained some bread and a flask of water.

Inuyasha's eyes were glued on Kagome, finding her behavior strange. Her posture was unnaturally stiff and her eyes were warily looking around them, as if trying to sense if anyone was watching them. He sniffed the air as the wind stilled, finding that no one was within a good sixty yards of them. Inuyasha approached her, attempting to tell her they were alone when she did something rather unexpected.

Kagome was extremely tense. It made her nervous to even be in the same area as Kikyou anymore, much less train with her. Kikyou always gave off an aura of discomfort, no matter how much Kagome wished she could like her fellow miko. They were partners afer all, and there was no reason to feel this way. The arrival of Inuyasha only intensified this uneasiness in Kagome's heart. While they were training, the feeling was getting overwhelming and she had to get away. Her heart beat fast; it felt like her lungs were condensing, making her breaths harsh and strangled. When Inuyasha turned to her, her knees gave out, sending her tumbling into him.

'What do I do now?' he thought as he looked down at Kagome, clinging to his haori as tears rolled down her cheeks. 'I've never had to deal with this sort of thing before!' Awkwardly, he put a hand on her back and patted her head with the other, not really sure how to handle the girl's sudden breakdown. They stood there for a moment, Kagome's small sobs filling the surrounding air. 'Damn it, I hate this! Why does she have to cry? And what the hell is wrong anyway!' Suddenly he noticed her breathing patterns were off. At first he attributed this to the crying, dismissing any other thought of it. But it only got worse and he started to feel a little sympathy tugging at his heart for the obviously distressed girl. He sat down, gently dragging her with him. Inuyasha's face was covered with a bright red blush as she sat down directly in front of him, her head down so her bangs covered her eyes. The tears were being stifled, forced back to their resting place as she shook, attempting to regain control of her emotions. Inuyasha could finally understand this feeling and knew there was only one way to make it go away. "Kagome?" he said quietly, carefully cupping her chin in one hand.

Her eyes were bloodshot, yet still beautiful. She looked stunned at his sudden forwardness, yet kept her eyes locked with his. "Inuyasha... I'm sorry," she sighed, leaning sightly into his hand as her head angled downward. "I shouldn't be acting this way... It's not proper... Besides, this is so foolish... I'm being so..." her voice whispered out the last part, unable to finish as her breath became shorter and the tears were fighting to return.

"Look," he told her in a firm, strong voice, "I don't know what's wrong, and you don't have to tell me, but..." he wavered, trying to think of the best way to say what he was thinking. "But maybe... maybe you should just let it out."

Her eyes questioned him, looking curious, yet painfully sad. The only sounds to be heard in the meadow were the twittering of bird far into the distance and Kagome's ragged breaths, harsh with pain as her chest heaved slightly.

Inuyasha just looked into her eyes, allowing her to concentrate on him. "Inuyasha..." she whispered before she placed her hands in her face, her shoulders quaking slightly at the force of her silent sobs as the tears rolled down her cheeks, landing on her hands like raindrops.

Suddenly she felt a strange sensation on the back of her head. It was gentle yet strong, as small, sharp claws ran though her raven locks, carefully avoiding direct contact. Instead, the points brush lightly along her skin, causing goose bumps to appear all over her body. She moved closer to him slowly, giving into the warmth his touch spread through her body.

They sat there for what seemed like hours, Inuyasha gently stroking her hair with his claws. Even after her sobs died and her tears ceased from falling, she clung to him, trying to hold on to the feeling she had at that moment. Kagome didn't think too much into it, concentrating on the hand that lightly brushed the skin of her head, smoothing out her soft ebony hair in the process.

Finally she sat up and looked Inuyasha in the eyes. "I'm so sorry... this is so improper... I shouldn't impose myself on you like that..." she mumbled as she sat up straight, wiping the liquid salt from her eyes furiously.

"Um... no, it's okay, really," he told her, keeping his gaze locked with hers.

"You deserve an explanation."

"No, that's okay. You don't have to tell me just because you cried on me," Inuyasha told her quickly. 'Damn it! I wanna know... but I can't get attached! I'm only here to protect her! That's it!'

"But" Just them Kagome was cut off by a voice calling her name in the distance.

"Kagome!" Sango's voice reached their ears, their gaze breaking from one another to look in the direction the sound came from. "Midoriko needs us all right now! Come on!"

Kagome stood, dusting off her miko clothing as Inuyasha stood next to her. "Well, I guess this will have to wait," she said with a smile. "Come on, we better get walking back to camp."

Inuyasha watched her walk for a moment, then an idea came to him. "Come here!" he said.

"Wha-" Inuyasha scooped her up in his arms and hopped into the air in less than a second.

Kagome's senses were reeling, her hair thrown in her face. The feeling of flight was scarring her, so she wrapped her thin arms around Inuyasha's neck, holding on for dear life.

Inuyasha couldn't help but brush when she came closer to him, practically hugging him. 'Feh, does she think I'll let her fall?'

Suddenly they were back at the center of camp, receiving strange looks from the surrounding soldiers. As he sat her down, Kagome took a deep breath and flash Inuyasha a quick smile before grabbing the large sleeve of his haori and swiftly walking toward a large tent near the front of the camp.

Kagome pushed the flap back to find that everyone else was already there. "Hey," she said softly, still slightly breathless from her sudden flight. Then she saw Midoriko and automatically gave a small salute before approaching. Inuyasha remained by the entrance of the tent, staring at a very interesting patch of dirt. "What are you doing?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"Um... standing?"

She sighed and grabbed his sleeve again, dragging him over to stand next to her at the large table. He blushed and gave a quick bow out of respect to the woman across the table that radiated power.

Midoriko smiled and gave him a slight nod, causing him to slightly relax. He looked around to find the group gathered were all familiar faces. Miroku and Sango were to his right, Kagome to his left. Across the table was Midoriko, standing tall with her long black hair contained in a ribbon. Next to her was Kikyou, looking directly at him, an unreadable emotion in her eyes. Inuyasha turned his eyes away. He couldn't bear to look at her anymore.

"We just got a tip about the Shikon no Tama," Midoriko said with a bit of eagerness in her voice.

Kagome, Miroku and Sango looked delighted, but Inuyasha looked confused. "Shikon no Tama? You're all after that?" he asked.

"Yes. We're hoping that by possessing the Shikon that the demons will stop their attack." Kikyou gave Midoriko a hard look. "What? Are you still stuck on the whole 'there's-a-demon-in-the-camp' thing?"

Kikyou glowered back. "Why do you tell him these things? I mean no disrespect, Lady Midoriko, but how do we know he won't just discover our plans and take them back to the demon camp?" Kikyou's eyes were narrow, hatred clearly emanating from the deep brown orbs.

Before Midoriko could respond, Kagome interjected. "We don't." Her response caused everyone in the room to look at her, including Inuyasha. His expression was clearly full of fear, not sure where Kagome was going with this. "It's call having faith in other's, Kikyou. I believe Inuaysha wouldn't do that."

Inuyasha's heart skipped a beat. 'She trusts me?'

"I also think that Inuyasha is trustworthy and deserves to know what goes on around here," Miroku said in a confident voice. "Wouldn't you say so Sango?"

Sango gave Inuyasha a hard look, her eyes piercing. He was afraid for a moment before she suddenly smiled. "Yes, I agree with you... for once."

"Hehe..." Miroku laughed nervously.

"Well, if our resident demon expert approves Inuyasha, then so do I," Midoriko said, looking at Kikyou. "I expect you to lighten up."

Kikyou glared at Midoriko with an unmistakable hatred, knowing that the decision was now final. "Fine," she huffed. "But I shall have no part of this. Excuse me." With that she practically ran out of the tent, throwing the flap back in her wake.

Midoriko let out a long sigh, showing her obvious frustration. "Anyway," she continued, "We now know the location of the Shikon Jewel."

"I hate to interrupt," Inuyasha said, "but how do you think the Shikon Jewel will help you win the war?"

"Good question," Midoriko said. "We don't like to fight and kill, so instead of defeating the entire army, we'll go after the leader. Our hope is that once the leader falls, the army will disperse."

"My professional opinion is that once the demons have no leader, they will feel no need to continue their assault," Sango told him. "Am I right with this assumption, Inuyasha?"

"Yeah," he replied, looking at the rough wooden table infront of him. "The only reason that most are fighting in the first place is that they fear for their lives. Or they truly to hate humans. But the first greatly out numbers the second."

They all nodded, then returned their attention to their leader. "I want all of you to go retrieve the jewel for us."

"But don't you need me here to guard the camp?" Kagome asked.

"Well, it seems Kikyou wants that position..." Midoriko said with a smile. Kagome returned it, and she continued. "You will all venture to the Central Lands, where the Shikon is being contained in a cave. I believe that all your skills will be needed to get it. You'll leave first thing in the morning."

"Yes, ma'am," everyone but Inuyasha said, saluting the tall woman.

"Ummm..." he mumbled, unsure of what he was to do.

"Of coarse, you'll accompany them, won't you, Inuyasha?"

"Yes," he said with a small bow.

"Good. You're dismissed," Midoriko told them as she turned away, facing the back of the tent.

When they got out, Kagome and Sango squealed excitedly, hopping up and down with their hands clasped together. "What are you all so excited about?" Inuyasha asked from his spot near Miroku, eyeing the jumping women with a strange expression.

Kagome came over to him and looked up into his eyes, taking his hand and jumping up and down. "We can leave the camp, Inuyasha!"

"So? Can't you do that anyway?"

"Because the three of us hold such high positions," Miroku said, "we hardly get to go anywhere. But now..."

"Now we can go on a journey!" Sango exclaimed with a voice unusual for the proud demon slayer.

"An adventure!" Kagome added. "We'll have fun! Come on, Inuyasha. You can't tell me you don't miss the deep forests? The wide open spaces?"

"Yeah... I guess..." he said as he thought about the possibilities.

"And if you even think about running off I will s-i-t you until; all you'll every be able to taste again is dirt," Kagome told him, her voice strong and final.

Inuyasha just starred at her for a moment, before muttering under his breath, "Whatever, wench."

"I'll choose to ignore that," she said with a smile, causing his cheeks to become a light shade of pink. "Well, we all should get some sleep," Kagome told them as a yawn racked through her body.

"Kagome's right," Sango said as she swatted away Miroku's hand before it could touch her rear end. Miroku looked astonished at her awareness of his actions, his eyes wide as he rubbed his hand. "Miroku, we've been partners since we were young. I have a sixth sense about where that hand is going to make it's appearance..." she said with a sigh.

"Hehe..." Miroku just laughed. 'Well, that really sucks...' he couldn't help but think. 'I'll have to get sneakier about my groping... Hehe...'

* * *

Inuaysha was settled in the corner of Kagome's tent again, watching her as she closed the tent's flap. Setting herself on her futon, Kagome felt an excited chill run down her spine. 'I can't believe it...' she thought groggily. 'I can go on an adventure with my friends... away from Kikyou...' Her chocolate brown eyes closed as a happy smile spread across her face, barely evident in the faint moonlight that filtered through the canvas material of the tent. But she could hide nothing from the amber eyes of the ever-inquisitive hanyou in the corner.

'Wonder what the big deal is about leaving the camp? I mean, they could just quit the army and go live in a village, couldn't they? Or maybe there's more than I understand... Whatever.' He looked to Kagome, who's eyes were now visible and openly starring at him.

"What are you thinking about, Inuyasha?" she whispered.

"Feh! Nothing of you're concern, wench!"

At first she was sightly angry at his rudeness toward her, but then she dismissed it when she thought of how he comforted her earlier that day. With a sigh, she rolled over and closed her eyes. "Good night, Inuyasha. Sweet dreams," she mumbled as she fell into the safety of her dreamland, where she could get away from her worries and fears and just rest.

Inuyasha just watched her as her breath slowly regulated, then her back arched slightly at an even pace. 'After last night, like hell I'm sleeping!' But soon he found himself lost in Kagome's scent, calming him and making his eye lids heavy. 'Dammit! Why? Why in the hell can she do this to me?' Before he could ponder about it any further, his bright amber eyes closed, shutting out everything around him except for Kagome's soothing scent. 'Might as well rest, I guess... I'll deal with the nightmares... Just like I have every other day of my life...'

* * *

To my Friends and Reviewers -

**kayzer** - Hehe! Thanks! Yeah, kinda, but at least he didn't keep looking like Miroku would! And I couldn't go completely insane... most people say I already am! But, that's okay, right? Again, thanks!

**Suaru** - Of coarse she's never nice in my stories! There always needs to be that person that no one likes... and Kikyou is so convenient... Hehe! He'll deny it, but his emotions will catch up with him... eventually! Thanks, my wonderful beta, and I'll TTYL! Love and Hugs!

**sweet-Inukag** - Thanks! I will!

**Chrono4747** - Thanks so much!

**JadeElemental** - ... You always take up over half the page on my reviews page! Geesh, but I love them! And yes, I think us Kikyou-haters will get along just fine without the Kikyou lovers! Hehe! Thanks! Well, I'm hoping I wont have to resort to throwing her into hell, but I'll just make it so she's just completely horrible and everyone hates her (which I'm really good at!) Why does Miroku always slap your butt when you're bad? I think you ask him to, you lil pervert! But hey, we all knew that... ; Anyway, Inu must argue with himself because its uber funny, and I guarantee he shall in the future! I'll TTYL and Tons of Love and Hugs!

**inuyahsa fangirl** - Thanks! I will!

* * *

Well, there's ch 4... This chappie was a kind of filler, yet necessary. Anyway, future chapters shall be much more entertaining, and more characters will be introduced! (no OC's, just characters that have yet to make an appearance) So, I hope you liked it, please **REVIEW! **Adios, my bien amigos and amigas!

Ash


End file.
